


excuses

by honeyspider



Category: Shazam! (2019)
Genre: First Kiss, Friendship/Love, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-04-06
Updated: 2019-04-08
Packaged: 2020-01-05 15:03:24
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 4,392
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18368450
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/honeyspider/pseuds/honeyspider
Summary: 3 times Billy and Freddy come up with an excuse to kiss each other + 1 time they don't.





	1. new year's

**Author's Note:**

> me, refreshing the shazam ao3 page every 2 seconds: I NEED CONTENT
> 
> me, cracking my knuckles: FINE I GUESS I'LL DO IT MYSELF
> 
> (also i know these stories are usually 5+1 instead of 3+1, but i can only think of so many ways to make these two dumb boys kiss)

_Ten, nine, eight…_

They’re all armed with confetti poppers, decked out in silly plastic necklaces, glasses, and top hats from the dollar store.

_Seven, six, five…_

Billy feels a tingling in his stomach, usually associated with nervousness, but this time he can tell it’s from excitement.

_Four, three, two, one…_

New Years had always meant another year of failure, another year where he hadn’t found his mom, another year stuck with people who weren’t his family.

_Happy New Year!_

But not this time.

This year was kicking off in his real home, with his real family. He cheered along with them as they all popped their little confetti cannons, spraying bursts of paper streamers that fell to the floor.

Rosa and Victor lean in for a brief kiss -- nothing more than a peck, but the kids still groan nonetheless. They laugh as they pull apart and Victor gets up to grab the bottle of sparkling cider from the kitchen.

Everyone gets a cup of the bubbly apple juice to celebrate with before being sent to bed. Darla insists that she isn’t even sleepy, but she can be heard snoring before Mary even flips the light switch off in the young girl’s room.

Billy and Freddy are giddy when they close their door behind them, as if the fizzy drink they had just had was the actual alcoholic stuff that adults toasted the new year with. For Billy, the bubbles are mixing with that tingly excitement he’d been feeling since the people on the TV had started counting down and he just can’t stop smiling. And for Freddy, Billy’s smile is better than any firework show.

They turn their light off so that Rosa and Victor will think they’re going to sleep, but neither makes any motion to. Instead, they sit on the edge of Freddy’s bottom bunk and lay backwards, staring up at the metal bars holding up Billy’s mattress as their feet rest on the floor.

Outside, they hear the whistles and bursts of fireworks being set off all across Philadelphia. The moon is out, filtering silvery light in through their window. Occasionally a firework will go off nearby and a flash of gold, green, or purple will fill up their room.

“Hey, Billy?” Freddy says softly, breaking the comfortable silence they had been sitting in.

“Yeah?”

“Why do you think people kiss on New Years? Like, what’s so romantic about it?”

Billy took a moment to ponder his answer. He’d never really thought about it before, as New Years had always made him miserable in the past.

“I dunno,” he shrugged. “I guess...sometimes...there’s a person in your life you care about so much that you’re excited to start off a new year with them. A whole new year of experiences and adventures… Or, something like that.”

Silence took up residence between them again. The sound of police sirens joined the din of fireworks and people celebrating. Billy wondered briefly if Shazam should be out there, helping to make sure no one hurt themselves. For some reason, though, he couldn’t bring himself to get up from where he laid next to Freddy.

“Hey, Billy?” Freddy prompted again.

“Yeah?”

“Have...have you ever kissed anyone?”

Billy’s heart is beating so hard he could swear it’s even louder than the fireworks exploding outside.

“No,” he admits. “You?”

Freddy scoffs, as if the answer is obvious. “Dude, come on. As if my bad leg and awkwardness has people lining up to get a piece of this.”

They’re both laying with their arms folded behind their heads. Billy turns his neck to give Freddy a look, one that silently tells Freddy not to talk about himself like that. If anyone else spoke about his best friend the way that Freddy did himself, he’d kick their ass.

He turns his head back to look up again.

“When I was eleven, this one girl in the home I was in kept trying to kiss me. I had to lock myself in the bathroom just to get away from her.”

“What was wrong with her?” Freddy asked. “Was she gross?”

“No, she just… I could tell that she wanted to kiss me just to kiss _someone_ , you know? It wasn’t because she wanted to kiss _me_. And I just didn’t feel the same way.”

Freddy hummed in understanding, although he had no idea what it was like for anyone to try to kiss him for any reason.

Billy noticed Freddy’s right leg start bouncing slightly, something he had noticed was a nervous tick of his friend’s.

“You okay?” he asked.

“Yeah,” Freddy answered. “I just…”

Billy waited to see if Freddy would finish his sentence. He didn’t. “What?”

“I… It’s stupid. Forget it.”

Billy shifted onto his side, his elbow on the bed to prop his head up with his hand.

“Don’t say that,” he tells Freddy. “What is it?”

Freddy swallows. He doesn’t look at Billy as he answers, keeping his eyes locked on the metal frame above him.

“I was going to say...that maybe...we could kiss. For New Years. Just to see what it’s all about, but…I don’t want you to feel like I’m using it just to get a ki-”

“I wouldn’t think that.”

Freddy’s eyes flick over to him. “You wouldn’t?”

“No,” Billy says. “We’re friends. I wouldn’t think you were using it, or me.”

Freddy copies Billy’s positioning, laying on his side with his elbow holding him up. They look at each other, neither saying anything or making any further movements.

“So...do you want to…?” Freddy asks vaguely.

Billy nods slightly. “Okay.”

Hesitantly, both unsure of what exactly it is they’re doing, they lean their heads toward each other. Neither tilts, so when they meet, their foreheads bonk into each other. They pull back apart.

“Sorry,” they both say and then laugh quietly at themselves.

Billy starts to lean in again and Freddy follows suit, relieved that their mishap hadn’t made Billy want to just forget the whole thing.

Billy lets his eyes slide shut as they get closer, but he can feel Freddy still looking at him. He pauses, their faces a fraction of an inch away from touching, and gazes at Freddy from under his lashes.

“What?” Freddy questions self-consciously, his voice barely more than a breath. A breath that Billy can feel brush against his lips.

“I think you’re supposed to close your eyes.”

“Oh,” Freddy says and immediately shuts them.

Billy closes his again and they meet in the middle of the miniscule bit of space that had been between them, their lips touching lightly. Neither is really sure how long they’re supposed to do it for, but then a particularly loud firework goes off in the neighborhood that startles them apart so they don’t have to worry about it.

Silently, they both return to laying on their backs and looking up.

“Happy New Year, Billy.”

“Happy New Year, Freddy.”

When Billy finally climbs up the ladder onto his own bunk, he presses his fingers gently to his lips, where the bubbly tingliness that had been in his stomach earlier has transferred to.

Below him, Freddy does the same, his cheeks burning so hotly that he pulls his comforter up over his head to hide from his own embarrassment.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> HEY, EVERYONE!  
> i'm adding this note waaaay after the story has finished being updated, but in case there's any new readers or anyone coming back to reread, please check out this amazing piece of art done by madi-artist on tumblr! it's inspired by this chapter of the story and i absolutely adore it! :)
> 
> https://madi-artist.tumblr.com/post/184627698667/so-i-got-inspired-and-those-boys-most-of-the-time


	2. valentine's day

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thank you for all the lovely comments that were left on the first chapter! a little personal blah, but i had a rough time at a new job today, so having new comments to read was something that made me smile. :)
> 
> anyway, on with the kisses!

Billy ran a hand through his hair as he trudged down the stairs with Pedro and Freddy. He was feeling sleepy, having been out late the night before Shazam-ing, and he hoped that Rosa had made something sugary for breakfast to help pep him up.

“Good morning, _mis amores_!” Rosa exclaimed as the three boys entered the dining room.

She gave each of them an enthusiastic smooch on the head.

Mary and Eugene were already seated, helping themselves to pancakes from the center of the table. Eugene picked one up and examined its odd shape.

“They were supposed to be hearts,” Rosa said, waving her hand dismissively. “But, love has no shape, anyway, so who cares!”

Confused, Billy sat down and grabbed several pancakes, drowning them in maple syrup.

An excited squeal announced Darla’s impending arrival as she bolted into the room. She skipped around the table and presented each of her foster siblings with a handmade card. Billy blinked down at the glittery purple heart staring up at him.

“It’s Valentine’s Day?” he said obliviously, not really meaning for it to have been aloud.

Everyone stared at him.

“Yep, the most annoying day of the year,” Freddy said as he stood up from the table to clear his plate. “Except for your card, Darla, which is amazing.”

Darla beamed.

“He can be such a grump sometimes,” Mary muttered as Freddy walked into the kitchen.

She wasn’t wrong, Billy realized, as they all walked up to front of the school. Some other students were carrying around flowers and balloons they had gotten.

“Great,” Freddy complained. “I get to spend all day trying to see past people’s dumb balloons.”

He marched off down the hall without saying bye to anyone, or even hugging Darla.

Billy didn’t see him again until third period, which just so happened to be the hour during which the student council was passing out candy grams. When the classroom door opened and someone cheerily came in to call out the names of people who had been sent valentines, Billy noticed Freddy roll his eyes and slouch down in his seat.

They passed Mary in the hall on their way to lunch, her arms laden with plastic heart-shaped boxes.

“Jeez, Mary, do you think you got enough candy grams?”

“Don’t be such a grouch, Freddy. You can have one.”

“I don’t want _yours_ ,” Freddy huffed and pushed past them to continue down the hall.

He had knocked into Mary’s shoulder and sent several of her candy grams falling to the floor. Billy helped her pick them back up.

“God, what is his _problem_ today?” Mary muttered.

Billy shrugged, although he was starting to get a suspicion. “Hey, are they still selling those valentine things?”

“Yeah, I think so, in the cafeteria.”

The warning bell rang and Mary quickly headed off to avoid being late for her next class. Billy continued into the cafeteria and approached the student council booth.

“Can I get one candy gram, please?” he asked, swinging his backpack around on one side to find some money.

“That’ll be five dollars.”

“ _Five dollars?_ For that little box of fake chocolate? You know it’s fake, right? It even says _chocolate-flavor candy_ on the box!”

The girl at the booth shrugged. “That’s the price.”

Billy rummaged through his backpack to see how much he had. Two dollars and thirty cents.

“Come on,” he pleaded. “It’s Valentine’s Day.”

“Should’ve started shopping earlier,” the girl said and started looking at her phone.

Disappointed, Billy sighed and turned away from the booth. He scanned the cafeteria for Freddy, but didn’t see him anywhere. There was only one place Billy could think of to look, the place he had found Freddy in the past on another bad day.

Billy walked through the library and, sure enough, found Freddy on his favorite little couch tucked back into the far corner. It was right near the library’s small display of comic books, which Freddy, of course, had already read all of. He constantly asked the librarian to order more, but she told him that she was going to spend what little budget she had each year on “real books”.

“Hey,” Billy said, dropping down next to him.

“Hey,” Freddy echoed back, not looking up from what he was reading.

Billy peeked at the comic that was open on Freddy’s lap, recognizing it as Spider-Man. One of the pages had been ripped out and taped back in.

“I tried to buy you a valentine,” he sighed, “but I didn’t have enough money. I’m sorry.”

Freddy lifts his head from the comic book. “What?”

“I’m sorry. I know you wanted one.”

Freddy is quiet and for a moment Billy thinks that maybe he’s upset. He should have just swiped one of the boxes off the table when the girl was looking at her phone. But he doesn’t steal anymore.

“Thank you,” Freddy finally says, quietly, a small smile creeping across his face.

“But-but I couldn-”

“It doesn’t matter. You tried. Thank you.”

Although Billy still feels like he failed, he can’t help but smile back.

“What’s Spider-Man up to?” he asks.

Freddy scoots over so their legs are next to each other and places the comic book between one of each of their knees. He gives some back story (too much, some people might say, but not Billy) to catch Billy up and then they read the comic book together, sharing a nod between them when they’re both ready to flip the page.

When the bell rings, signalling the end of their lunch break, Freddy scrambles to gather his stuff. Billy puts the comic away for them. Freddy starts walking to head out into the hall, but Billy grabs his arm and pulls him back.

The library has emptied out except for the librarian, but they were hidden from her view by a tall bookcase.

Billy grabbing him so unexpectedly makes Freddy stumble a bit with his crutch, but Billy plants a steadying hand on either one of his arms. Freddy’s eyes lock onto his.

“It’s Valentine’s Day,” Billy says.

“Yeah…?”

“So, um…I think maybe we should, uh, you know…”

“Oh!” Freddy gasps, realizing what Billy was saying. “Yeah. For the holiday.”

“Right. For the holiday.”

Billy keeps his hands on Freddy’s arms as he leans in (and down, slightly). He had never really noticed that Freddy was just a tad bit shorter than him. Their lips meet only for a brief moment before they pull apart. Billy lets his arms fall to his sides.

“Um, see you after school,” he says.

“Yeah, I’ll see you then.”

Billy turns and walks through the library to head out into the hall. Freddy starts to leave, too, but can already tell that he’s going to be tardy because for some reason his legs are feeling a little wobbly. And was he mistaken or were his arms warmer than usual in the exact spots where Billy’s hands had been?


	3. birthday

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hey, everyone! once again, thank you for all the kind comments! :)
> 
> i just finished writing the final chapter of this and all i'm going to say is !!! writing these boys makes me so happy! i'll post the ending soon & i hope you all enjoy it!

Billy can’t remember the last time he woke up actually feeling _excited_ on his birthday. Foster parents usually didn’t celebrate it, if they even acknowledged it.

A part of Billy had always hoped, year after year, that with his birthday would come _something_ from his mom. A letter, a call, anything.

This year, he didn’t need that, though. He had everything he needed and wouldn't have to waste his time waiting out by the mailbox for something that would never come.

His birthday fell on a Saturday, so the family was going to go to a park to have a celebratory picnic. Victor was going to make burgers (veggie for Darla) and there was a cake in the fridge that Billy wasn’t allowed to peek at.

As Billy sat up in bed, he saw that Freddy was already dressed and sitting at his desk.

“You’re up early,” he commented.

Freddy jumped a little, startled because he hadn’t heard Billy wake up. He placed one hand on the desk and used it to help him stand up.

“Hey! Happy birthday, Billy!”

Billy smiled as he hopped down from the top bunk instead of using the ladder. “Thanks!”

He walked over to the dresser and pulled out clothes for the day, noticing when he turned back around that Freddy was watching him. Freddy quickly averted his gaze.

“You okay, dude?” Billy asked.

“Yeah!” Freddy answered quickly. “Yeah, of course.”

Billy didn’t quite believe him, but accepted the answer anyway. Maybe Freddy was just trying too hard to keep a birthday secret from him.

“I mean, it’s just…” Freddy finally conceded after a moment, sharing what was on his mind. “It’s your birthday and so I thought I’d ask if you wanted… Not-not as a present! I got you a real present, too, but just as something...extra.”

Billy felt his ears grow hot and wished desperately that his hair was long enough to cover it up. They hadn’t kissed or even talked about kissing since Valentine’s Day. There hadn’t exactly been any holidays lately that involved kissing. President’s Day, St. Patrick’s Day, Easter, Earth Day… None of those had provided a good enough argument for either of them to even suggest it.

But today was his birthday. That was worth celebrating.

“I’d like that,” Billy said.

He stepped over towards Freddy, who was relieved that he had said yes. It had been so long since they had shared a kiss that Freddy worried maybe Billy would be over it by now and not want to again.

Freddy took his hand off the desk and held on to Billy’s arm to support himself. He tilted his face upwards, moving in towards Billy’s and -

\- the door opened.

They both took a step backwards, Billy into the center of the room and Freddy bumping back into the desk. Rosa, Victor, Mary, Pedro, Eugene, and Darla barged in.

“HAPPY BIRTHDAY!” they chorused.

“Oh, um, thanks, guys,” Billy replied awkwardly.

Mary reached out and squeezed one of his cheeks. “Aw, he’s blushing!”

“Y-yeah, because you guys surprised me so well,” he said. “Thank you.”

Rosa wrapped an arm around his shoulders and started steering him out of the room. “Come on, I made your favorite breakfast!”

As he left with the others, Billy looked back at Freddy over his shoulder, but Freddy was staring at the floor.

Their day at the park was the best birthday Billy could have ever imagined. They played games and ate and chased each other around until all they could do was lay down on the grass and stare up at the clear blue sky.

They brought out the cake as the sun was just starting to go down, lighting the candles and singing the birthday song to Billy. As he took in a breath to blow out the candles with, Billy visibly hesitated.

“What is it, Billy?” Victor asked.

“I don’t know what to wish for anymore.”

Rosa brought a hand to her face, blinking back tears in her eyes.

“Will you guys help me?” Billy asked of them.

Together, they all blew out the candles on his cake. Billy opened his presents next. Rosa and Victor got him a new pair of red Converse. Darla made the two of them matching friendship bracelets -- his red and gold, hers purple and gold. Mary, Eugene, and Pedro had all chipped in to buy him a fancy new notebook with a matching pen. They decided he needed one that wasn’t full of bad memories and scratched out names and addresses.

He opened Freddy’s present last, freezing as he pulled a gold frame out of the gift bag.

“What is it, sweetie?” Rosa asked. “Show us.”

Billy turned the frame around to reveal what was inside. It was the front page of the Philadelphia Inquirer from the day after the battle with Sivana. There was a picture of Billy and his family, all in their Shazam forms. The headline read: **CHRISTMAS COMES EARLY: PHILLY GETS ITS OWN SUPERHEROES**.

“Freddy, it’s perfect,” Billy said, looking at him across the other side of the picnic table.

Freddy smiled. “I’m glad you like it.”

After that, they all start packing up to head home. Freddy walked with Billy as he carried the giant cooler to the van, opening up the back for him once they get there. Billy shoved the cooler into the van and hopped up to sit in the back with his legs dangling out.

“Look at that,” Billy says, gazing out from his perch.

Freddy turns around to see the last of the sun’s rays lighting up the city skyline in orange and yellow. Billy had spent so long looking for _home_ that he realized he had never really appreciated Philadelphia enough.

“Did you have a good birthday?” Freddy asks him.

“The best,” Billy answers. “Except for the one thing that I didn’t get.”

Freddy looks genuinely disappointed to hear that Billy’s birthday left something to be desired. “What was it?”

“Something extra.”

Freddy feels his eyes widen. He had assumed that when they had almost been caught earlier that they would stop. He didn’t want the others to find out and look at them differently.

“We don’t have to,” Billy suddenly says. “I didn’t mean to make you uncomfortable.”

Freddy realizes that his face must look horrified or something. He shakes his head quickly, hoping to convey that he isn’t actually uncomfortable. He opens his mouth, but babbles, unable to find the words to express what he wants to say to Billy.

Instead of saying anything, he plants his right hand on Billy’s shoulder and kisses him. It’s stronger than the ones they’ve shared in the past, their lips crushing together instead of just grazing. Billy is so shocked by Freddy’s bold maneuver that his lips part slightly and their mouths briefly interlock. When they pull apart, Freddy’s top lip is a little bit slick.

“Happy birthday,” Freddy says.

“Yeah, you too,” Billy replies, somewhat dazed.


	4. just because

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> the final chapter!!! thank you to everyone who has been reading, commenting, kudos-ing, bookmarking, etc! i appreciate it all! i haven't had the motivation to write anything in a while, so this has been a great welcome back to ao3.
> 
> also - i'm working on another little billy/freddy thing that should be up soon! :)

Freddy sighs contentedly as he pulls himself onto the ledge of the roof, swinging his legs to dangle over the edge. He looks down at his big, golden boots and watches as they transform back into his sneakers when he says the magic word.

“You changed back,” Billy says behind him, sounding surprised.

He’s still in his super form, his cape blowing lightly in the breeze. The two had paired up to help people out of a bad pile-up car wreck. They stopped for pizza afterwards and the man who owned the shop had insisted on getting a picture with them for his wall.

“It feels more exciting to be up here when I’m like this,” Freddy explains.

Billy sits on the ledge, too, setting their box of pizza in between them. With one word and a strike of lightning, he’s himself again. Immediately, a pang of nervousness gripped his stomach, raising the hair on his arms.

There’s a little bit of fear, looking down at the city far below them, even though he knows that if he were to fall all he would have to do is scream  _ SHAZAM!  _ and he’d be okay.

Then there’s the buzz excitement that comes from how unbelievable it is that he, Billy Batson, is sitting on the roof of a Philadelphia skyscraper. And that Freddy is there, too.

He glances over at Freddy, who is giving him a look that says he knows exactly how Billy is feeling.

“It’s amazing, right?” Freddy asks.

“It’s incredible.”

They sit there, just looking at each other, until Billy clears his throat and opens the pizza box, muttering something about how they don’t want it to get cold. Freddy makes a noise of agreement as he takes a slice. 

Neither of them say anything for a while, the sounds of the city filling up the silence between them. 

“Billy,” Freddy finally speaks up, “I’m really glad I met you. And not just because you gave me superpowers. I just...really like having you around.”

Billy flounders for a response. Simply saying, “Yeah, me too,” isn’t good enough, but the mass of words he really wants to say get caught in his throat. He wants to tell Freddy that nothing, not even his superpowers, makes him feel the way that just being next to him does. He wants to tell him that if he could, he would freeze time in its place just to keep sitting out here with him in the cool night air.

His mouth feels dry. It’s as if every part of his body is trying to stop him from saying the words, like a train pulling hard on the brakes and screeching down the tracks. His heart is pounding so hard he thinks it just may shoot out of his chest.

“Freddy,” he manages to say, although it’s so faint it practically blows away with the breeze. “I -”

Freddy looks at him, waiting to hear what he’s going to say, but Billy gives up on trying to get a coherent sentence to come out of his mouth.

In a quick movement, Billy leans across the space between them and places a hand on Freddy’s cheek as he kisses him, trying to convey his feelings without words. Freddy is so surprised that it takes him a moment to catch up to what’s going on and by the time he starts to kiss back, Billy’s lips are pulling away.

Billy is still touching his face as Freddy opens his eyes and lets out a shaky breath.

“What-what was that for?” he asks.

“Because I wanted to.”

Freddy merely blinks at him and Billy lowers his hand, worrying that he had crossed a line between them that couldn’t be put back.

“Was that okay? I’m sor-”

But Freddy grabs the front of Billy’s shirt and pulls him in for another kiss. He can’t help but smile against Billy’s lips as he feels Billy’s arms loop around his neck. He feels Billy smile back. He loved Billy’s smile before, but Freddy decides he loves it even more when it’s against his own.

There’s a shuffling noise and they pull back to watch their pizza box fall several stories down to the street. A car alarm goes off.

“Oops,” Billy says, but the look on his face isn’t the slightest bit apologetic.

They laugh, closing the space between them that was no longer taken up by the box. They plant several small kisses on each other’s lips before leaning their foreheads together.

There’s no holiday, no thinly veiled excuse for them to use for what they’re doing. Billy feels weightless, like he does when he’s flying. The only thing keeping him from floating away is Freddy’s hand that is still holding on to his shirt.

“So, we’re doing this whenever we want now, right?” Freddy asks.

“Yeah, I think so.”

Freddy sighs in relief. “Good, because I don’t think I could’ve handled waiting until the Fourth of July to kiss you again.”

Billy uses two fingers to tilt Freddy’s chin upwards, pressing their lips together again softly.

“Me neither.”


End file.
